Mission
by L122yTorch
Summary: A case comes up and Stabler and Benson will be asked to pick up a suspect, but what will happen in that warehouse will forever change the course of their relationship. Is the job really the reason they're both still at SVU, or is it something more?


Liv looked up at the intently occupied face that sat across from her. Elliot and Olivia's last case hadn't gone so well, and now a serial rapist was on the loose and had resulted in non-stop labor from all of SVU. Tensions were running high, especially in their little slice of the precinct. "Need something?" Elliot's voice startled the detective as she flushed a crimson color having realized she was staring at her partner. "No," she said in a wavering voice and quickly looked down at the papers on her desk.

Craigen emerged from his office, wearing the same shirt he had on the day before. He made a b-line for Benson and Stabler's desks and in an exasperated but excited voice relayed that there was a break in the case and that the duo was needed to sit on the lead suspect. Wearily Elliot and Olivia made their way to the elevator, a deep sigh escaped from Elliot who was staring at his shoes. Although eager to catch this guy, deep circles were nestled around El and Liv's eyes and their exhaustion was evident with every heavy step and jumbled word. In four days and three nights they probably had less than ten hours of sleep each.

The frigid air stung at Olivia's lungs as she plopped into the passenger seat. She sat intently, still freezing, watching as her partner walked around the car and soon revved up the engine. Excitement began to bubble in the air as their car approached the abandoned building but soon waned after twenty minutes of waiting for their suspect to show. Three hours later Olivia let out a moan and hit her head against the headrest. "If I don't get some sleep soon I'm going to lose it El." "I'd say you already have Detective Benson," he said smiling at her. She looked back at him and chuckled. "Wait," Elliot said, his smile fading fast, "there's Thomason." There in the dark winter night was their man walking into the building. A sick feeling swelled up in Olivia's stomach as she reached to open the door. "Maybe we should call backup El." "C'mon Liv, it's just one guy, he's just a suspect. We'll scoop him up and bring him in, we've done it a thousand times." Clinging to his reassurance and her gun, Liv followed El into the dimly lit building.

It was a one-story warehouse type of building that smelled of dirt and musk and dripped in foreboding. They stuck closely together and had deemed almost every corner as clear. "He must have made us and left," Elliot whispered into Liv's ear, sending a shiver down her spine. The duo came back past a cross-section of hallway they had already cleared. With large flashlight and weapon in hand Elliot said he'd take to the right and see if there was anything suspicious in the, what seemed like, deserted building. "I'll go left," Liv said pointing her flashlight in that direction.

Dripping from some leaky pipes were the only sounds that broke through the silence as Elliot walked down the corridor. Helluva good place to hide someone he thought to himself. At the end of the corridor there was a door. It was locked. Just as he was about to break it down a scream echoed through the hall and reverberated off of the cinderblock walls. Elliot turned about-face and tore down the hallway. A gun fired, BANG, and then another BANG. Elliot's heart nearly stopped beating when he saw Olivia and Thomason on the floor, a crimson puddle stretching out from beneath them. "OLIVIA," Elliot screamed as he crumbled to the floor next to his partner. Olivia began to sit up and was chocking tears back. "It's okay," she said in nearly a whisper, "I'm okay, it's his blood, he's dead." A deep exhale of relief came from her partner and tears streamed down his face. Elliot reached out for Olivia and brought her into his arms. Shakily they stood up and he took his partner outside of the tousled and bloody room. In ten minutes the scene was flooded with officers.

Elliot stood by the dazed Olivia as they waited for Craigen. Liv was heavily leaning against the wall, her clothes soaked in blood, her breath shallow, her gaze fixed at the wall adjacent to her. It was a sight that startled Craigen as he hurriedly walked towards her. "Because this was such a high profile case I'm going to need to get your statement now, I wish it could wait but…" "It's okay," she interrupted. "Let's go outside," he motioned to them both.

The warmth of her body escaped and traveled away with her words in the cool winter night. She looked pale as hell as she told Craigen what had just happened. "El and I split up, I went down the left corridor. I cleared four rooms and came to the fifth, there was no one there. I was turning around when he dealt me a blow across the face. I stumbled back and he kneed me in the ribs before punching me. He said…" Olivia paused and looked down at the gravel squeaking beneath her feet. "He said if my partner weren't there he'd work me over like he did Jesse. Anyway, he came at me again and I grabbed his gun while in his hands. We were struggling for it and I kneed him in the crotch, even so, he was twisting my hands rather painfully and the gun was between us. It went off in his shoulder and he shoved me down on the floor. The next time it went off, it went straight into his chest." "Okay," Craigen said after a moment of silence."

Munch's figure emerged from the warehouse. "Captain," he said, "we found Jesse in the locked room at the end of the other corridor. She's alive, paramedics are wheeling her out now, and she'll probably make it." "You should get checked out yourself," Craigen said turning towards Olivia. "No," she replied, "I just want to go home." "Okay," he answered.

Elliot started the car in silence and they rode in silence to Olivia's apartment. Elliot turned off the ignition. "What are you doing?" she asked. "I'm staying with you tonight," he stated matter-of-factly. Olivia began to open her mouth in protest but closed it upon the realization that she didn't really want to be alone.


End file.
